Warriors trying to trade for, extend Clippers star

Brian Windhorst reports that Golden State would offer Paul George a four-year max deal in an opt-in and trade

The Golden State Warriors have targeted an NBA star this summer, and he already has his own podcast!

George can opt out of his $48M for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, after playing the last five years with the Los Angeles Clippers. So far, the Clippers have been unwilling to give George a four-year max contract, even after locking in Kawhi Leonard through the 2026-27 season for $153M. Leonard took less than a four-year max to stay, and perhaps the Clippers also want George to settle for less than his top end, a four-year deal for $223M.

If George opts out, he’s limited to signing with teams who have enough cap space to fit in his new contract. But opting in to next year’s deal opens the field to any team who can work out a deal with the Clippers — and are willing to give George a contract that his old team won’t.

Enter the Warriors. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, they’d be willing to give George a maximum deal if they can get him. Such a deal would likely involve finding a new home for Andrew Wiggins and/or Chris Paul, who in this scenario would need to guarantee part of his non-guaranteed $30M salary for 2024-25. They’d also probably need to re-route Paul to a team that didn’t have James Harden, with whom Paul had an “unsalvageable” relationship in Houston.

But unlike trading for a player like Mikal Bridges, getting the nine-time All-Star from the Clippers shouldn’t require a haul of draft picks. That’s because George, who averaged 22.6 points and shot 41.7% from three-point range this season, has all the leverage. If George leaves as a free agent, the Clippers don’t have many options in trying to replace him.

Los Angeles still won’t be under the salary cap, since they have to resign free agent James Harden. They’d only have the taxpayer mid-level exception to work with, worth about $25M for three years. That’s a tough proposition, especially as the team moves into their brand-new arena, the Intuit Dome, where owner Steve Ballmer is very excited about their record number of toilets.

If they lose George for nothing, next season is going in the toilet for L.A.

This situation means that George can effectively choose his next team, with the Clippers being highly incentivized to get something back for him, even simply to preserve his salary slot. The Warriors don’t have to convince the Clippers to make a deal as much as they need to convince George to come play with Steph Curry and friends.

Does George fit? Absolutely. He fits on almost any team in the league with his blend of perimeter defense (four All-Defensive teams), three-point shooting, and ball handling. George is big for a wing at 6-foot-10 and has a nice midrange game to provide variety in a scoring attack. While his offensive creation took a back seat to Leonard and Harden last season, he averaged nearly six assists per game two seasons ago.

The downside? He’s already 34 years old, and the NBA’s new CBA has severe penalties towards teams that exceed the luxury tax line. George hasn’t been the healthiest player, missing 71 games between 2021-23, though he played 74 games last year. The Warriors would likely have to include one or more of their young players and future draft picks to get the deal done. It might not be responsible for a 10th-place team to go all-in on a 14-year veteran.

But their window of contention remains just barely open, as long as Steph Curry is on their team. George might be interested in staying in California, as his mother’s heath issues make it difficult for his parents, Paul and Paulette (really!) to travel to watch him play. San Francisco is a whole lot closer than Orlando to their hometown of Palmdale. Maybe Curry can help them find a house in Atherton, with or without a privacy fence.

Adding George might be mortgaging the future, but the team’s post-Curry future is a dystopian nightmare world already. If nothing else, his presence and his podcast should motivate Draymond Green to up his game on the court and on the mic.